The Call
by AJ Maxima
Summary: Yuffie always answered on the first ring, always…
**Disclaimer:** What do I own? Well, there's this special word called nothing. It's as blank as my rights to this and—dare I say—my bank account at the moment. Ah, bills-bills-bills and life-life-life…

* * *

 **The Call**

 _That one friend who always answers, no matter what time of day..._

"I found fifteen puppies near a dumpster by Radiant Garden's main gate," Leon said into his cell phone while he sat in his black truck. The box of abandoned puppies was still outside of his heated vehicle, save for one lucky creature that was shivering in a red blanket while he cradled it in his left arm. The black spots against it's white fur gave a clear sign that the pup was indeed a Dalmatian breed, and the bones Leon felt underneath the grimy fur and damaged thin skin were also a reminder of the starvation and neglect the poor puppy had to endure.

"No _way_!" Yuffie shouted back through the receiver. She sounded astonished and excited to see them, although there was a bit of static from her end, courtesy of the small, winter storm. "How many are there?!"

" _Were_ there," Leon corrected. He gripped the black device in his right hand, practically shaking in rage—as much as the tiny canine he was holding. "Fourteen dead, and one barely breathing on it's own now. I've got the poor thing in my truck with me—with the heater all the way up… Yuffie, I don't know what to do now." Of all his friends, he knew he could be most honest with Yuffie Kisaragi.

Leon was wearing all black, watching the abandoned box from where he sat in his vehicle. "It's too late in the night to send someone, isn't it?" He'd never been in this situation before, and part of him felt rude for leaving the dead puppies outside, but what was he going to do with them? Only _one_ had survived the cold, and who knows how long that one would last. There was _no one_ to call this late at night—in _this_ weather—and to Leon, throwing the box in the dumpster seemed more vile than leaving it right there beside it.

Riding in a hearse didn't seem too appealing, either…

Leon sighed, peering down at the defenseless creature in his arm.

"Yeah," Yuffie replied. "But don't worry! We can save the little guy on our own, okay?!" Good ole Yuffie.

Leon felt unsure about the life he was holding, but there was no denying that he'd do everything he could to save it. With a firm nod, he said, "Okay. My house is closer, so can you meet me there in ten minutes? I don't know if he'll survive; he's as cold as ice... but we can try."

"Have faith in your great ninja, Leon! We'll fix his temperature soon! Just hurry! I'll meet you there!" The dial tone alerted him that Yuffie was about to speed across town to see him, and she was now in crisis mode—right at it's core.

And lastly, it notified Leon that Yuffie…

She was a good friend.

Leon sighed at how determined she'd sounded, but it was more out of humor and contentment than anything. He knew he'd made the right choice by calling her instead of Aerith, Tifa or even Cloud—especially this time of night. "All right," he murmured as he placed the phone in his left pocket. He carefully placed the puppy in the seat beside him and placed his seatbelt on. "Time to get you some place warm." He startled when he peered down to see that the small canine had quickly crawled back into his lap, shivering—the red blanket forgotten while big, brown eyes peered up at their savior.

Leon grabbed the blanket, rewrapping the pup inside, and he positioned his arms on both sides of the steering wheel in a stiff movement to prevent the tiny creature from falling during any future turns. "Just a little longer," he assured before driving off...

It took him less than seven minutes to arrive at his small, white condo, and Yuffie's car was already parked outside. Her black jeep was off, though, and the lights of his home were clearly on.

 _So, she found a way inside again?_ This was the thirteenth time he'd changed the locks.

Leon rolled his eyes at the thought, shutting his engine and yanking his keys out in a hurry. He lifted the puppy as he climbed out of his vehicle and slammed the door behind him, rushing up the driveway. Snow was on the ground and covering every home on the block, and he knew that come morning, he'd have to shovel his way out.

As Leon approached his red front door, before he could even lift his keys, Yuffie appeared from the other side, seeming proud of herself while she stood in what looked like a hero's pose—the Hercules pose as she preferred to call it—with her hands on each hip and a prideful lift of her chin while she grinned. "Guess who broke in?! Guess-guess!"

"A ninja?" he droned as he bypassed her. He hurried to his hallway closet, pulling the white door back to reveal an abundance of blankets and towels—all were either red, navy blue or black. He chose the blue one, the thickest he had, and wrapped it around the puppy.

He knew by Yuffie's tone that she was frowning, and he her heard close the front door. "Not just a ninja," she explained. "The—"

"Great Ninja Yuffie," he corrected himself. He spared her a glance over his shoulder. "Well? Use those ninja skills to help me save this little guy."

Yuffie's brown eyes widened. "Ah, right! Let's mosey!" Leon was glad that his dark-haired friend couldn't see the small grin on his lips as he walked off, and he resisted the urge to chuckle when he heard her small feet making small patters along the wooden floor to keep up with him down the beige hall.

When she finally caught up, she touched his right arm, peering over his shoulder at the fearful pup. "Aw, it's so cute!" She lifted the bundle out of his arms, grinning at the sight. "Is it a boy or a girl? I feel kind of weird for assuming on the phone earlier."

Leon crossed his arms, tilting his head as he observed his friend stroking the canine's head. "It's a boy. I checked."

"So cute!" she said, a little too loudly for the puppy's liking. It startled, releasing a terrified whimper.

"Do we clean it first or feed it first?" he asked.

"Let's see…" Yuffie carefully balanced the pup in her left arm, using her right to touch her chin while she gazed up in thought. "Maybe feed it first, then clean it. I think it would suck to bathe it while it's been starving this long. Might start drinking the water as we're doing it." She motioned her head to Leon's kitchen, which was to the right. "I brought you some puppy chow! My babies won't mind, and I even brought some other necessities."

He gave her a firm nod, hurrying to the white, marble kitchen to see a large, green bag of dog food on his island. It was labeled Kanine Krunchies and a German Shepard was on the front. "Tell me again why you named one of your dogs Tramp?" She had two of them.

Yuffie scoffed, trailing behind him. "Because the girl's name is Lady, duh Leon." She'd spoken this as if he was supposed to just know… and he didn't. It was hard to understand Yuffie's reasoning most days. But, nevertheless, Leon didn't have to fully understand her to _get_ her. Yuffie was his best friend, and he enjoyed her company—however odd and energetic she was.

He grabbed a small, black bowl from his dishwasher, having no real dog bowl to give—and he filled some of the contents of the dog food inside.

"These are shaped like stars," he commented, impressed by the brownish-red food.

Yuffie shook her head. "Nuh-uh! Those are paupu fruit shaped."

He deadpanned. "...They're _both_ star shaped, Yuffie."

She was giving him a small pout. "Fair enough…" She set the tiny puppy on the island, pushing the bowl towards it, and the duo waited for the animal to take a bite. After a while, Yuffie blinked. "He's not eating."

Leon had a troubled expression on his face, seeming to ponder when he stroked the puppy's head. "I can see that."

Yuffie sounded a bit panicked as she said, "But if he doesn't eat, he'll die."

"I know that, too," he reminded her in a level tone. "Let's see…" He went to dishwasher and grabbed another black bowl before heading to the sink and gathering warm water. Once he was finished, he set the bowl down and pushed it towards the puppy.

Again, it didn't budge.

Leon followed the pup's line of vision, and he nodded to himself when he noticed the eager gleam in Yuffie's eye. "Yuffie?"

"Hm?"

"Do me a favor."

"Anything!"

"...Disappear."

If her jaw could break free and shatter on the floor, it still wouldn't be enough to emphasize her shock. "Wha- _what_?!"

A light chuckle flooded the room. "Just for a moment. I think the puppy is scared of you. I'm trying to see if that's why it won't eat."

Yuffie's face reddened at the news, but she lifted her thumb up, nodding. "Ah! Okay!" She hurried off to the living room. "What's it doing now?!" she called.

Upon hearing the sound of her voice, the puppy paused before it inched towards the bowl of water.

"I need you to keep quiet for a second!" Leon called back. The creature didn't seem to have a problem with Leon's voice.

"Can do!"

After the canine analyzed the situation, and saw that Yuffie's whereabouts were unknown, it slowly began devouring the food, and occasionally lapping at some water. It was around five minutes into it's meal, that Yuffie peeked her head back into the kitchen, and although the pup spared her a cautious glance, it resumed eating, even after she walked over to Leon and they high-fived. All the canine cared about was satisfying it's hunger...

It took about twenty minutes to clean the little creature, and although it wasn't scratching uncontrollably when Leon had found him, Leon and Yuffie made sure to wash it with the special flea soap that the little ninja had brought over.

And now, after all was said and done, Leon was resting in his living room on the red carpet in front of the fireplace with his back leaning against the blue couch. Yuffie was beside him, snoozing soundly while the clean puppy rested in her arms, now at ease and use to her eager behavior. Both humans were wearing comfortable sweatpants and sweaters now, feeling the warmth from the glowing red flames, although Yuffie's attire was twice her size due to the material belonging to Leon.

A picture of the Restoration Committee sat atop the white hearth, with Cloud, Yuffie, Tifa, Leon and Aerith all grinning—except for Cloud and Leon, of course—while Cid had taken the picture. There was another photo beside it; Leon's favorite. The picture was an updated photo of the committee, and a boy with spiky, chocolate brown hair stood in the middle of them, with a grin as infectious as Yuffie's…

"I wonder where Sora is now," Yuffie whispered. Her eyes were now slightly open, and she rested her head against Leon's left shoulder. "Hope he's traveling the world like he wanted."

Leon agreed with a hum of approval.

"So," Yuffie spoke up. "You're gonna keep him, right?"

Leon frowned. "But I don't—"

"I'll help," she stated. "It's obvious the little guy likes you." She had a valid point, although this would be Leon's first pet. She knew having a pet would be good for him, being the recluse that he was...

Nothing further on the adoption subject needed to be explained as a silent agreement passed between them, and Leon gazed back at the updated restoration Committee photo, knowing in the morning, he'd report the box of puppies he found by the dumpster and make an early trip to the vet with... with...?

"What are you gonna name him?" Yuffie asked, knowing that he was thinking the same thing.

"I don't know," he admitted. He reached over and gently brushed his fingers over the pup's head, feeling the warm fur. "He's lucky to be alive..."

"Lucky!"

The puppy yawned upon hearing Yuffie's loud declaration, but it didn't startle. Leon, however, looked at her as if she had two heads. "Lucky?" he asked.

"Why not?" she questioned back, shrugging. "It fits, doesn't it?"

"But it's so..."

She pointed an accusing finger at him. "Don't you dare say basic, Squall!"

"That's Leon," he corrected, crossing his arms. "But you're right... it does... _fit_." He watched as his best friend grinned in triumph, kissing the top of Lucky's head. "Yuffie…?"

Dark-brown eyes peered up him. "Yeah?"

"…Thanks."

She had to stop herself from giggling; knowing Leon was always so guarded with showing affection. "You're a softie at heart. You know that?" He simply closed his eyes, leaning his head back as he drifted to sleep.

Yuffie knew she'd get no reply, but she smiled nonetheless. "But still… I'm glad you called me."

As Yuffie closed her eyes again, she fell asleep with a content sigh, missing the last bit of what Leon had to say. Mere moments after she'd reached her REM state, Leon whispered, "I'm glad I called you, too."

…

 **A/N:** I guess this is slightly different than my usual angst type stuff since it ends on a good note, but I was in the mood for something lighter by my standards. Typed this all up in one sitting while on break at work so if there are any typos, you're welcome to notify me so I can fix them. Feel free to comment if you'd like, and if you can't I do appreciate that you read this anyway. :)


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